In addition to acting, Abhirami Bhargavan is also a talented Bharatanatyam artiste and a fashion model too.

Varthakal Ithuvare is a typical family oriented film reminiscent of the ’90s and the debut director Manoj Nair was dreaming of making a movie belonging to that era, when he grew up watching the movies of Priyadarshan and Sathyan Anthikad. Set in the village background of Palakkad, the forthcoming Malayalam movie’s screenplay is also written by the director. Abhirami Bhargavan from Payyanur is doing her debut role as the heroine, while the hero is young actor Siju Wilson of Premam fame. Other actors in this movie include Vinay Forrt, Saiju Kurup, Nedumudi Venu and others. To know more about her role in her first movie and to know more about this multi-talented artist, The Indian.News Editor Jayashankar Menon had a free-wheeling chat with Abhirami Bhargavan. Excerpts:

TIM: Can you talk about your first Malayalam cinema, Varthakal Ithuvare?

AB: This is my debut movie. Siju Wilson has been cast against me as the hero and he is donning the character of a Police constable. I am portraying the character of a school teacher. In addition to that, Vinay Forrt is also doing an important character in Vaarthakal Ithuvare. Eldho Issac is handling the cinematography. The story is set in the ’90s. This film will evoke the feeling of nostalgia reminding us of the the movie directed by Sathyan Anthikad for instance or for that matter the new movie will take you to revisit the nostalgic movies like Naadodi Kaatu, Ponmuttayidunna Thaaravu and more.

Vaarthakal Ithuvare is bound to give that sort of feeling for the viewer. The director of the movie was looking for a face that had to match with the heroins of the ’90s and I was selected from the many applications for having such looks. After that there was this stringent screen test followed by the acting skill test. After succeeding in all these tests, the directed cast me for the heroine’s role in this film. The best part is that this film is also a debut assignment for the Director, Manoj Nair as well. He has also written the screenplay.

TIN: Can you talk about other artists who have been lined up for Vaarthakal Ithuvare and other aspects of the movie?

Abhirami Bhargavan bags debut role in the forthcoming Malayalam movie Vaarthakal Ithuvare, mugging up the script.

AB: Nedumudi Venu, Nandu, Alecier Ley, Vinay Forrt, Sudeep Karamana, Saiju Kurup, Mamukoya and the star cast is humongous. Mejjo Josseph has composed music in this movie. Lawson Biju (Producer of Ranam) and N Jiby Parackal are the producing this movie. The songs are also set in the village ambience. The location of Vaarthakal Ithuvare is Kollenkode in Palakkad, replete with paddy fields and greenery pervading all around.

Odiyan movie was also shot in this location. The film promises a typical village setting, which will give a great feeling of our countryside, especially with the rapid urbanisation happening all across Kerala, Kollengode still gives you the looks of ’90s! So, this movie is going to be a visual treat for the viewers and nature lovers. The trailer of the songs will be released in February this year.

TIN: Can you talk about your character in this movie?

Abhirami Bharagavan portrays the character of a school teacher in the forthcoming Malayalam movie, Varthakal Ithuvare.

AB: I am doing the character of a school teacher by name Alice. The story revolves around a theft that happens in the village.

So, the story line is very interesting and gives a new variety for the film lovers. Vaarthakal Ithuvare will be a subtle reminder of the ’90s movies and how the cine-goers enjoyed those movies and the present generation of film viewers will watch this movie with a bit of nostalgia.

TIN: Can you talk about yourself?

Abhirambi Bhargavan, in addition to acting and modelling, she is also equally talented in Bharatanatyam dance form.

AB: As for me, right from age five, my focus was on dance. I have been learning Bharatanatyam from my Guru, Seetha Sasidharan in Payyanur in Kannur district of Kerala. I finished BSc Chemistry from Payyanur College. During this time, I also did BA Bharatanatyam from Thanjavur University. I have also completed MA Bharatanatyam and I am about to embark on pursuing my MPhil. Through dance only I developed the passion for acting. I was also the Anchor in Surya TV. My foray into the film industry is through anchoring the Travelogue Cookery Show, Supertaste. In addition to that, I am pursuing modelling as well.

Acting, Modelling and Dancing go hand in hand for Abhirami Bhargavan.

TIN: So, fag end of 2018, you have bagged a meaty role in Vaarthakal Ithuvare. What is your expectation for 2019?

AB: I am doing several modelling assignments as of now. I am looking forward to do some wonderful characters this year. At the same time, I also want to continue the dance performance in tandem.

AB: Like the law of attraction, unknowingly the passion for movies had crept in me right from my childhood. Somehow, God has helped me to realise that dream (Laughs). A lot depends on the current movie, Vaarthakal Ithuvare. I leave everything to the viewers now. If they accept the move, which I am sure, it will happen, then I might as well continue in the Malayalam film industry, carving a niche for myself.

AB: My residence is located near the Subramania Swamy Temple in Payyanur. My father is working in Keltron and mother is serving the Register Office. I have an younger sister, Shreya Bhargavan who has just finished her MSc Physics from VIT College in Vellore and doing her project in Goa.

Mohiniyattamexponent, Kalamandalam Dhanusha Sanyal received the Adharavu Awardfrom Kannampully Devasthanam Trust on December 26, 2018 at Kootalain Palakkadas part of the Kannampully Nataraja Natanaolsavam International Dance Festival in Sree Maha Kameswara Templeheld from December 16-26.

Kalamandalam Dhanusha Sanyal is the founder of Gouridharpana Dance Academy, which she founded in 1999 in Kodungallur in Trissur.

Kalamandalam Dhanusha Sanayal and Kalamandalam Himavathy had entered the Guinness World Record Mohiniyattam visualising Daivadasakam Dance Performance by 1536 staging 1500 Mohiniyattam artists on single platform on April 21, 2018 and the venue was in Government Higher Secondary School, Srinapuram in Kodungallur, titled: Festival’s Own Country. The official certificate of the Guinness Book of World Records are yet to come. The gist of the dance programme was part of the celebration about the book authored by Srinarayana Guru’s Daivadhashakam being translated into 100 different global languages.

Teenage boy spends three hours on the disturbed Elephant by name Thadathavila Sivankutty at the Elappully Para Siva Temple Ayyappan Vilakku Festival in Palakkad till rescue came about

A 17-year old boy, like all teenage boys, was excited about taking part in the local temple festival, where in addition to the attractions like the local percussion, the focus area being gracing the occasion by parading the elephants.

Teenage boy spends three hours on the disturbed Eelephant by name Thadathavila Sivankutty at the Elappully Para Siva Temple Aiyaappan Vilakku Festival in Pallakad till rescue came about

Here too, at Para Sivan Temple, where Ayyappan Vilakku Mahotsavam, held in Elapully panchayat of Palakkad district in Kerala, a bordering town near Coimbatore and Pollachi(Tamil Nadu) that got kick-started around 5.00 PM, the procession of three elephants, when it reached the busy Para Junction, which is an important inter-state road, on the way to Pollachi in Coimbatore district of neighbouring Tamil Nadu, that too on a busy day with the weekly flea market (Largest weekly bazaar called Para Chandha was crowded with people bursting from the seam, did turn the otherwise peaceful revellery into a disaster waiting to happen. I got the information through mobile phone about the incident and I rushed and reached the spot within minutes, so that The Indian.Newscould cover the live drama, which was unfurling right in front of my eyes at my backyard.

The boy, along with two other youth were perched on the back of one of the elephants, named Thadathavila Sivankuttydidn’t have an iota of inkling that the kind of nasty things that were to be unfurled in the next few moments to come. At 5.45 PM, when the elephant, which was irked by his Mahout, who was seen bullying the pachyderm for hours giving a slew of instructions, suddenly started chasing the latter. The mahout initially ran behind a stationery three-wheeler (auto rickshaw) and as the elephant was looking around, two youth jumped from the elephant’s back and ran for their dear lives, while the third one, a 17 year old boy, who was sitting on the neck of the giant animal could not try his luck of jumping from the top.

Meanwhile, the other two elephants too ran amok in two different directions, fortunately, their mahouts managed to bring those animals under control and chained them in the nearby areas. The boy, after realising that he was trapped, who intelligently clung on to the thick rope tied on the neck of the elephant. The disturbed elephant, even while targeting the mahout, which was also seen trying to pull the boy down, but the boy some how ducked and seen stooping flat on the head of the animal, balancing himself from not been thrown down. This time, the elephant was furiously searching for the mahout, spotted him hiding behind the vehicle, gives a thrash with its leg and the auto rickshaw was seen flying on air. The mahout then hid behind another auto rickshaw and the elephant did the same thing.

The mahout then ran into a shop and pulled down the shutter . The disturbed elephant went near the neighbouring shop and pulled out the sacks containing pulses and strewed it all across the road and was waiting for the mahout to come out. The elephant also raided the nearby fruit shop, grabbed a watermelon and pressed it with its leg and picked the fruit up by his trunk and in one heave gobbled it, all in few seconds without taking its eyes off the shutter where the mahout had locked himself up to escape from the wrath of his trained animal. All these while, the boy was struggling to cling on top of the elephant. The second mahout, assisting the main mahout was seen giving instructions to the elephant, but in vain. In the melee, the police and the Fire and Rescue team who came from the nearby Kanjikode were standing there helplessly seeing the panic stricken elephant running amok. In a quick move, the mahout pulled up the shutter and ran through a passage scaling a hillock where the elephant was chained the previous night.

The elephant then started climbing the hillock and moved towards a temple pond looking for the mahout, at the same time trying to bring the boy down, but very heroically the boy was seen doing acrobatic daredevil acts and clung on the thick rope tied on the elephant’s neck. By then the traffic was cleared, thus allowing a long queue of vehicles to move.

The second mahout was seen instructing the boy to loosen the chain tied on the elephant and the boy judiciously followed each and every instruction to survive. Then the elephant started moving in between the trees in a wooded area baying for the blood of the mahout. At last, at around 8.00 PM rescue came about, when the elephant squad members of the Forest Department reached the spot and anchored the animal with chain. Only after that the boy was brought down. Apparently, his experience of climbing on top of elephants for years had come handy for him to survive the biggest nightmare of his life spending in excess of two and a half hours fighting for his life. This incident again triggers the raging debate whether it is a prerequisite to have elephants paraded during the temple festivals. The incidents like this are frequently happening these days. With the temple festival just started in Kerala, you are likely to hear more such disturbing news. The civil society should intervene and decided whether to satisfy the desires of few ardent elephant fans, should we jeopardise the security of the people and whether it is alright to harass the wild animals like this to parade in crowded and varying weather conditions? Hope better sense prevailed in God’s Own Country.

A new Malayalam semi-classical album, Sarathkala Sandhya, rendered by the renowned music composer and vocalist Sharreth and upcoming female vocalist, Mathangi Ajithkumar was released on November 16, 2018. For the first time in the Malayalam album genre, Sharreth had rendered a song holding the breath for 28 seconds. In fact, it bettered the record created by KJ Yesudas, in the song, Harimuraleeravam, in which the he rendered about 21 seconds holding the breath. In fact, Sharreth being a busy musician on his own right, showed the magnanimity and agreed to sing for the vocalist and music composer, Vijayakumar Chambath.

Vocalist Sharreth with music composer, Vijayakumar Chambath.

Hailing from Palakkad, Vijayakumar is now living in Chennai. He regularly takes part in the musical programmes in Tamil television channels and was dabbling in music composition for few albums. When Vijaykumar was wanting to make a Malayalam semi-classical album with Sharreth as a vocalist, he was not sure whether the latter would agree to it. Vijayakumar rendered the same song by holding his breath for 28 seconds to finish the sustain and send it Sharreth, the down to earth musician had in fact agreed to record this song after hearing Vijayakumar’s rendition and composition. Within a month Sharreth finished the recording with Mathangi. Vijayakumar, who adores Sharreth, considers this success as a dream come true, a life time achievement. Vijayakumar was all praise for Sharreth and his big heart to agree to render a song for his music composition. His cousin, Vithinassery Madhusoodhanan, who is a music teacher and an excellent percussionist (Mridangam and Tabla) was of great inspiration to Vijayakumar.

In this music video, Sharreth has lend his voice and the music composition and orchestration is by Vijayakumar Chambath, another accomplished singer. Another unique aspect of this video is that the lyrics was written after the music composition got over. Vijayakumar is in cloud nine as he could rope in a vocalist of the stature of Sharreth for his music album. The lyrics is by Dhinesh Kaniyattil and recorded at D9 Studio in Chennai, mixed and mastered by Shyam Mohan. Both Vijayakumar Chambath and Mathangi Ajithkumar are from Palakkad.

The orchestration, along with the mellifluous rendition of Sharreth and the young Matangi is lilting along with memorable lyrics. The video, which is already posted on YouTube is attracting lot of music aficionados. Wish more videos come from this bunch of talented artists in the coming years.